Forever 21 Blasted After Getting White Man to Model 'Wakanda Forever' Sweater
The brand has since removed the controversial images and issued an apology.
Forever 21 couldn't make it to the new year without one more scandal.
The fast-fashion retailer found itself in more hot water this week after unveiling a holiday sweater inspired by Marvel's game-changing movie Black Panther. The piece in question wasn't too noteworthy, as it featured a Fair Isle pattern with a Black Panther helmet motif and the phrase "Wakanda Forever" emblazoned on the front. Did the piece adequately reflect the vibrant utopia depicted in the film? Absolutely not; however, the lazy design isn't what sparked outraged.
On Tuesday, Forever 21 decided to market the sweater on its official Twitter page. And the brand decided to have the piece modeled by a a blond-haired, blue-eyed white guy. The irony wasn't lost on Twitter users.
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Forever 21 has since deleted the tweet as well as the controversial images featuring the white model. The brand has apologized for the controversial photos in a statement to TMZ.
"Forever 21 takes feedback on our products and marketing extremely seriously," the company said. "We celebrate all superheroes with many different models of various ethnicities and apologize if the photo in question was offensive in any way."
